CVE-2015-2089 in Crossslide Jquery
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the CrossSlide jQuery (crossslide-jquery-plugin-for-wordpress) plugin 2.0.5 for WordPress allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that (1) change plugin settings or conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks via the (2) csj_width, (3) csj_height, (4) csj_sleep, (5) csj_fade, or (6) upload_image parameter in the thisismyurl_csj.php page to wp-admin/options-general.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/14/2018
The CVE-2015-2089 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in the CrossSlide jQuery plugin version 2.0.5 for WordPress, exposing administrators to unauthorized actions that can compromise entire WordPress installations. This vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's handling of administrative requests through the wp-admin/options-general.php page, where multiple parameters including csj_width, csj_height, csj_sleep, csj_fade, and upload_image are susceptible to CSRF attacks. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate plugin configurations and potentially execute cross-site scripting attacks without requiring authentication, creating a significant security risk for WordPress sites using this vulnerable plugin.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the plugin's administrative interface. When administrators access the plugin settings page, the application fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions rather than maliciously crafted requests. This lack of validation allows attackers to construct specially crafted web pages or exploit existing vulnerabilities in other parts of the site to trick authenticated administrators into executing unintended actions. The vulnerability specifically targets the parameters mentioned in the CVE description, where each parameter represents a potential vector for unauthorized configuration changes that could fundamentally alter the plugin's behavior and security posture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes, as it provides attackers with a pathway to potentially escalate privileges and execute more sophisticated attacks within the WordPress environment. When an administrator visits a malicious page that contains embedded CSRF payloads, the browser automatically submits requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoint, effectively performing actions as if the administrator had initiated them manually. This capability enables attackers to modify plugin settings that could disable security features, alter display parameters to facilitate further attacks, or upload malicious files through the upload_image parameter, potentially leading to full system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the administrative level, meaning that successful exploitation could result in complete control over the affected WordPress installation.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on immediate plugin updates to versions that implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms, as well as implementing additional defensive measures within the WordPress environment. Organizations should ensure that all WordPress plugins are regularly updated and maintained, with particular attention to security patches released by plugin developers. The implementation of additional security controls such as WordPress security plugins, web application firewalls, and regular security audits can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. According to CWE standards, this vulnerability maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities, while the ATT&CK framework categorizes this under T1212, which involves exploitation of web application vulnerabilities for privilege escalation and persistence. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers and other browser-based protections to reduce the attack surface for such vulnerabilities.